Stranger Things star Charlie Heaton is in negotiations to play Cannonball in Josh Boone’s comic book movie NEW MUTANTS, the Tracking Board has confirmed. Meanwhile, 13 Reasons Why star Henry Zaga has closed a deal to play Brazilian ladies man Sunspot.

Heaton is nearing a deal to join Anya Taylor-Joy (Magik) and Maisie Williams (Wolfsbane) in the young superhero film, which 20th Century Fox is slated to release on April 13, 2018. Rosario Dawson is also in discussions to join the cast as a doctor who serves as a mentor to the teens, and has special powers of her own.

Heaton has been tapped to play Cannonball, aka Sam Guthrie, a teen who’s invulnerable while he propels himself in the air. With Heaton looking likely to come aboard, Fox and Boone will turn their attention to filling the role of Native American Danielle Moonstar.

Written by Boone and Knate Lee, New Mutants will skew a bit darker than Fox’s other X-Men movies, as the studio aims to put a fresh spin on the superhero genre, similar to how Logan riffed on westerns and Deadpool deconstructed the genre. Production starts in July in Boston.

Heaton is best known for playing Winona Ryder’s son Jonathan Byers on the Netflix sensation Stranger Things, though he and Taylor-Joy just worked together on the indie thriller Marrowbone, which hails from producer J.A. Bayona.

Heaton recently co-starred alongside Naomi Watts in the thriller Shut In, and opposite Amandla Stenberg in the indie drama As You Are, both of which were in the can prior to Stranger Things. The British actor is represented by Gersh, and the Hollywood Reporter broke the news of his casting.

Zaga played Josh Diaz on MTV’s Teen Wolf before being cast as Brad on Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why. He’s repped by WME.

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